Loretta NOTARESCHI: String Quartet OCD
Called a “bright wom[a]n with big ideas” (Souls in Action), Denver composer Loretta K. Notareschi seeks to create “compassion” (303 Magazine) and connection through her “powerful” (The Denver Post) and “deeply personal” (5280 Magazine) music. Whether writing for string quartet or symphony orchestra, churches or classical ukulele, she seeks to move listeners with music of meaning.
Notareschi is a professor of music at Regis University and a faculty member of The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat. She received master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, a bachelor’s of music from the University of Southern California, and the General Diploma from the Zoltàn Kodàly Pedagogical Institute of Music, as a Fulbright Scholar. Her music has been performed around the world, and she has received awards and grants from the Cincinnati Camerata, IronWorks Percussion Duo, American Composers Forum, and GALA Choruses. In 2016, she was a TEDxMileHigh speaker.
In the autobiographical tradition of the string quartet since the time of Beethoven, Loretta Notareschi’s String Quartet OCD sketches the emotional landscape of the composer’s experience with postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder in the year following her daughter’s birth. Postpartum OCD, which affects approximately 3 to 5% of mothers, is characterized by intense fear and anxiety, in response to which mothers develop repetitive coping behaviors. The four movements sketch the trajectory of Notareschi's condition, from fear, through coping, shame, and ultimately recovery. Although String Quartet OCD dramatizes one person’s personal experience with mental illness, it seeks to give voice to the universal fears of all people about our children’s vulnerability in a dangerous world.
William Grant STILL: Lyric Quartette, Musical Portrait of Three Friends
One of the leading African-American composers of the 20th century, William Grant Still’s (1895-1978) legacy lives on today. Still was the first American composer to have an opera produced by the New York City Opera, the first African-American composer to conduct a major American orchestra, the first to have an opera performed on national television, plus many more accolades and ground-breaking events. He left behind a wealth of music in his oeuvre, including five symphonies, nine operas, over thirty choral works, a number of chamber music works, art songs and four ballets.
Lyric Quartet was composed in 1960 and was dedicated to Still’s friend, Joachim Chassman. Set into three movements subtitled “Musical Portraits of Three Friends,” the quartet takes the listener on a personal journey.
Movement I – The Sentimental One
Subtitled ‘The Sentimental One’, the opening unison fluctuations create warmth between the quartet’s timbres. The style in which this movement is written showcases Still’s more sensitive style of writing, which is highlighted through the textures and rhythms of the music. The definition of ‘Sentimental’ is “of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness or nostalgia”, and Still manages to get all of these things within the first movement. The lack of big dramatic changes and the familiarity and warmth of the style accentuates the nostalgia and tenderness of this sentimental friend and the effect they had on the composer.
Movement II – The Quiet One
Another fluctuating opening in unison paves the road ahead for The Quiet One. Throughout this movement Still holds back in the way that the melody is presented, which perhaps reflects the characteristics of the quiet friend. The sweetness of the upper strings sits neatly on top of the warm lower strings, creating perfect harmony between the ensemble. Still uses pizzicato sparingly in this movement to experiment with the timbre, however the movement largely consists of unison arco playing.
Movement III – The Jovial One
The final movement, dedicated to ‘The Jovial One,’ opens with a playful melody. The most energetic and driven of the three movements, the jovial character is established straight away. Exciting whirling from the upper strings in the central section builds tension as the driving force of the lower strings keeps the music moving along at quite a pace. The bouncy melody, led by the violin at the end, comes to its epic finale with all the parts coming together. Notes from the composer’s web site
Aftab DARVISHI: Daughters of Sol for String Quartet
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1987, Aftab Darvishi grew up playing piano, violin, and Kamancheh. Her father (the composer Mohammad-Reza Darvishi) encouraged her music aspirations, and she graduated with a degree in Music Performance/Composition form the university of Tehran with honors.
In 2010 Aftab moved to the Netherlands, studying Carnatic Music at the conservatorium van Amsterdam and achieving a master’s degree in Composition for Film in 2012. Aftab has created over forty musical works for various media and contexts (opera, chamber music, choir, dance, film/animation, and art installations to name a few) and has worked with orchestral groups in demand all over the world. In addition to collaborations with the HERMESensemble, Orkest De Erepriji, Oerknal Ensmelbe, and Royal Ensemble Aftab has also written a work commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, which is featured on tonight’s program.
In 2017, the Grammy Award-winning string ensemble commissioned Darvishi’s stunning “Daughters of Sol” for inclusion in their “Fifty for the Future” project. This ambitious musical initiative seeks to amalgamate repertoire that exemplifies “the most contemporary approaches to the string quartet, designed expressly for the training of students and emerging professionals.
Created through a deep connection to the Iranian folk music of her childhood, she explains that “…’Daughters of Sol’ contains gentle transitions and detailed changes, which lead to dissolving of gentle circular movements, which I think…resembles cycles of life. We evolve and dissolve in gentle and harsh conversions. We change colors, yet we tent to go back to our roots [in spite] of our differences.” Notes from the composers web site
Antonin DVOŘÁK: Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “American Quartet “
Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904) often shared his native Czech and Slavic folk music in his compositions. He began his music education at the age of twelve and later studied in Prague. He composed for several genres, which include: symphonies, symphonic poems, choral works, concerti, chamber music, operas, and songs. In 1892 he moved to New York to serve as director of the National Conservatory of Music. He returned to his homeland in 1895 for his final years.
Dvořák’s String Quartet in F, Op. 96 (American Quartet) was written during the composer’s 4-month visit to a Czech community in Spillville, Iowa in 1893. The work represents his second in America after the New World Symphony and was written in only 16 days. It was first premiered in Spillville with the composer on first violin. In 1894 it was performed in Boston and New York.
This work represents one of first works to not only include memorable melodies but to include a strong structure as well. This work may include aspects from African American spirituals and Indian ritual music. Several themes use the pentatonic scale, which is common to folk music universally. This scale removes the 4th and 7th degrees of the scale (Fa and Ti) to avoid clashing half steps. This piece opened the door for later American composers to use folk music themes.
Allegro ma non troppo
The viola opens with a theme using the pentatonic scale in F major. The second theme in A major resembles Czech music. The development section includes a fugato before the return of the first theme.
Lento
This movement also opens with a theme using the pentatonic scale but this time in minor modality. The violin presents it first with the cello echoing it. This movement resembles African American spirituals and Indian ritual music.
Molto Vivace
The first section of this traditional scherzo includes exciting syncopated rhythms and also includes a transcription of a birdsong. The second section includes a variation of the first theme with a slower speed and darker character.
Finale: Vivace ma non troppo
This movement has the traditional form for a finale of a rondo, which repeatedly returns to the first theme. This movement recalls sounds from the railroad, which the composer thoroughly enjoyed. Notes by William Harned
Kenji BUNCH: “the still, small voice” for String Octet
Kenji Bunch is one of America’s most engaging, influential, and prolific composers. Through an expansive blend of classical and vernacular styles, Bunch makes music that's “clearly modern but deeply respectful of tradition and instantly enjoyable.” (The Washington Post) Deemed “emotional Americana,” (Oregon ArtsWatch) and infused with folk and roots influences, Bunch’s work has inspired a new genre classification: “Call it neo-American: casual on the outside, complex underneath, immediate and accessible to first-time listeners… Bunch’s music is shiningly original.” (The Oregonian) Hailed by The New York Times as “A Composer To Watch” and cited by Alex Ross in his seminal book The Rest Is Noise, Bunch’s wit, lyricism, unpredictability, and exquisite craftsmanship earn acclaim from audiences, performers, and critics alike. Notes from composer’s website
Bunch grew up in the Pacific Northwest, received conservatory training at The Juilliard School, and after 20 years in New York City, returned to reside in his hometown of Portland, Oregon where he serves as Artistic Director of Fear No Music. His interests in history, philosophy, and intergenerational and cross-cultural sharing of the arts reflect in his work. The varied style references in his classical music writing authentically mirror the diversity of global influence on American culture. Irresistible grooves frequent Bunch’s music, revealing his deft ability to integrate bluegrass, hip hop, jazz, and funk idioms. At the same time, the rich, tonal harmonies and drawn-out, satisfying builds which characterize his work have wide emotive appeal, and easily lend themselves to dance and film. Notes from composer’s website